Sausage and Spinach Lasagna

The weight loss plan is not going well so far - a couple weeks ago, I was in a wedding, and there were lots of good eats that week, including a four course dinner at The Melting Pot, and two catered dinners. The next week was recovery, and last week I was really busy at work, and ended up eating in the cafeteria a lot (they like to think they have healthy food - but the food that they have that's healthy is not very tasty).

I've also had the occasional soda at work -  I typically don't drink caffiene. When I was in college I started having chest pains and palpitations - I was 20, so it scared me a bit. I consulted a doctor, had some tests done, and come to find out, it was just a reaction to caffeine. At the time, I was drinking about one 20oz Mountain Dew a day. These days, I can have a soda every so often (every few weeks or so), and feel fine. I can drink tea no problem (though I usually buy decaf), but one 8oz coffee will have me feeling like crap after a few hours - which sucks, because I love coffee, and the neat flavors are always full caff.

I got inspired to make lasagna last night. I was watching The Chew, and they made a very tasty looking ravioli - which I woulld have loved to make, but I don't have a pasta maker, and with L, I don't really have time to roll pasta by hand. One day though...

So I texted my friends, and we had an impromptu dinner party last night. I made the lasagna and savory squash muffins. We also had french bread,  salad, apple pie, and watermelon. The girls went through 2 bottles of wine (left overs from the wedding). We had a good time - we discussed the parenthood, newlywed's honeymoon adventure, and fun travel destinations.

The lasagna turned out pretty good. Not my husband's favorite, but he doesn't care for spinach. I think I would double the sausage/spinach mix next time though, so I've written the recipe below to reflect that.

Sausage and Spinach Lasagna (inspired by Mario Batali's Grandma's Ravioli)
1 box lasagna noodles
3 tablespoons olive oil,
plus enough to grease the lasagna pan
2 onions, chopped
2 lbs mild italian sausage
1 bag spinach, chopped
32 oz marinara sauce
32 oz Ricotta Cheese
2 cups mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles to al dente, according to package directions.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the sausage and cook until it is no longer pink. Stir in the spinach, and cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the Ricotta and half of the mozzerella. Add in the sausage mixture and mix to incorporate. Mix in one egg.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with olive oil. Add a large dollop of sauce, and spread to coat the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of noodles over the sauce, overlapping the edges. Top with sauce, then put six evenly spaced dollops of the ricotta mixture on top and flatten them a bit. The ricotta will spread as it cooks. Repeat the layers twice more, ending with noodles, sauce, and ricotta. Top with remaining mozzerella and the then parmesan cheese. 

Place in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, the lasagna is bubbly, and the top is lightly browned. About 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover lightly with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.